The state of California has decided to resolve it's peak-power problem with the help of programmable, communicating thermostats (PCTs).

On the hottest days of the year, when air conditioners are working hardest, sometimes California cannot make, or buy, enough electricity to satisfy its tremendous appetite. On these special days, Californians must find ways to save electricity or risk losing power from brownouts or rolling blackouts. They must go around the house turning off lights, computers, air conditioners, and whatever else they can live without. People in a few locales around the world periodically face similar choices, but as world populations and economies grow, it is likely that these types of extreme measure will become more widespread.